You’re Not Down With Brother Obama? 20 Black Celebs Who Have Republican Tendencies

As the next Presidential election draws nigh in November, the two most popular candidates, Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney have been paving the campaign trail. With election year comes slander, controversy and your occasional celebrity political rants. Politics met entertainment with the latest celebrity rant, coming from Nicki Minaj, in which she rapped in vote of Republican Mitt Romney. This was a shock to fans and celebrity bloggers everywhere, but Nicki is not the only popular African-American face that has shown favor to the GOP. Here is a list of some African-American celebrities who have supported or are affiliated with the Republican party:

LL Cool J

LL Cool J attended the Republican Convention in 2004 and has been a supporter of Republican New York governor George Pataki back in 2002. He has never officially stated his political party.

50 Cent

Rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent was a supporter of former Republican president George W. Bush Jr. during his term in office. In 2005, he is noted for stating to GQ Magazine that wants to meet the former president, and “just shake his hand and tell him how much of me I see in him.”

Karl Malone

Karl Malone, known more famously as “The Mailman,” is a former NBA player and is registered as a member of the Republican party. Malone also donated to the 2004 re-election campaign of former president George W. Bush.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

“The Rock,” a household name from the WWF franchise is claimed to be a registered Republican. He was formerly invited to speak at the 2000 Republican National Convention.

Zora Neale Hurston

As one of the most popular African-American female authors, Zora Neale Hurston supported the Republican party during the span of her life. Hurston belonged to the Republican party and agreed with many of Booker T. Washington’s politics on hard work and self-help. She also highly opposed the Supreme Court ruling in the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954 for various reasons.

Don King

As one of the most popular African-Americans affiliated with the GOP, it’s no surprise that this political figure is on the list. In 2005, he highly supported former president George W. Bush and his policies amongst other Republican candidates.

T.D. Jakes

He has not made his official political party very clear, but renowned Bishop T.D. Jakes has been affiliated with the former President George W. Bush, stating that the President seemed to take his faith seriously and was a very “believable and straight-forward person.”

Wilt Chamberlain

Known for many, many things in addition to his basketball feats, Wilt Chamberlain is also known for supporting the GOP. He voted Republican throughout his life, and in 1992, published a book about his life, “A View From Above,” that went deep into his life and his views as a supporter of Republican politics.

Sheryl Underwood

Comedienne Sheryl Underwood is a self-proclaimed and registered Republican. She has officially stated her political preference: “I would call myself a sexually progressive, God-fearing, black Republican.”

Lynn Swann

Lynn Swann is most famously known as a former wide receiver for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers team from 1974 to 1982. After his tenure as a football player, Swann went on to become the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania in 2006.

Condoleezza Rice

Another famous political figure, Condoleezza Rice is known for being the 66th United States Secretary of State under the Bush administration and the first female African-American to hold the title. She proudly supported the Bush administration while in office, and more recently spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Jimmie Walker

Jimmie Walker is known for being J.J. from the classic 1970’s sitcom “Good Times” and he is a registered Republican. In an interview with Bill O’Reilly, Walker stated his personal opinion about President Obama, noting that he is not “a good guy for the job we need to do.”

Joseph C. Phillips

Best known for his role in the long-running sitcom “The Bill Cosby Show,” actor Joseph Phillips is a conservative Christian commentator and is known for being a critic of same-sex marriage. The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. member was National Co-Chair of the African American Steering committee for the Bush Cheney campaign in 2004, and was named a member of the Republican National Committee’s African American Advisory Board.

Colin Powell

Colin Powell was a very important political figure for the beginning of the Bush administration, serving as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005, right before Condoleezza Rice.

Booker T. Washington

You may remember him from the history books, but Booker T. Washington was also affiliated with the Republican party, having been both Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft’s adviser during their tenure.

Crystal Wright

Crystal Wright, also known as GOP Black Chick, is a black conservative claiming her fame as editor of the Conservative Black Chick blog. She advocates highly for the Republican party and speaks her mind on her Twitter page, @GOPBlackChick.

Stacey Dash

Actress Stacey Dash has made her conservative views public in the past few years as an Republican. Dash has publicly supported the 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney as he ran for the White House against President Barack Obama. She also regularly takes to Twitter to show support of the political party.

Dr. Ben Carson

Dr. Ben Carson, neurosurgeon at John Hopkins Hospital, was not in full support of President Obama’s proposed Obamacare back in 2013 during the Value Voter Summit in Washington D.C. The doctor took to the podium to express his views, stating that Obamacare would be the worse thing to happen to America since slavery, supporting the Republican party on their stance against the healthcare plan.

Jimmy McMillian

Political activist Jimmy McMillian coined the phrase and New York-based political party, The Rent Is Too Damn High, during the early 2000’s. McMillian has been in support of the moral, religious values of the Republican party and is registered as a Republican, even announcing that he would run as a Republican in the 2012 Presidential election.

Don King

Famous boxing promoter Don King is public about his support for the GOP, supporting former President George Bush wholeheartedly while he was in office. He is also known for motivating African Americans to vote Republican as well, primarily during the race between President George Bush and John Kerry in 2004.